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Year: 2024

Spate of health scares and violent threats highlight growing vulnerabilities for lawmakers on Capitol Hill

Spate of health scares and violent threats highlight growing vulnerabilities for lawmakers on Capitol Hill

Members of Congress are vulnerable. They’re not super men and women. They are of flesh and bone like anyone else. A series of unconnected events in recent days spoke to the vulnerabilities of those who work on Capitol Hill as health scares impacted three well-known Congressional figures. Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., fell during the weekly Senate lunch last week. DC Fire and Rescue came to the Capitol to evaluate the GOP leader after he cut his face and sprained his wrist. He was spotted later wearing a brace on his arm which stretched across his hand and thumb. He was initially “cleared to resume his schedule.” However, McConnell did not appear at the Capitol later in the week and his office said he was working from home.  He suffered a concussion last year after falling at a hotel and was out for two months. McConnell also froze up at several news conferences – both in Washington and in Kentucky. He fell at his home in 2019, fracturing his shoulder. DOGE CAUCUS FOUNDING MEMBER DEBUTS 2 BILLS TO KICK-START WASTE CUTS IN TRUMP TERM The 83-year-old McConnell leaves his position as the top Republican in the Senate in early January, but will remain in the chamber. McConnell is the longest-serving leader of either party in Senate history. McConnell did not appear at what is presumably the final Senate GOP leadership news conference of the year Tuesday. He also didn’t attend a ceremony with the other top bipartisan, bicameral Congressional leaders to light the Capitol menorah for Hanukkah. McConnell isn’t the only prominent lawmaker to stumble lately. Former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., was hospitalized in Germany after a tumble that resulted in her hip needing to be replaced. She was there with other lawmakers for the 80th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. PLANES, STARS AND HOBBYISTS: LAWMAKERS INSIST NOTHING ‘NEFARIOUS’ IS HAPPENING IN NJ SKIES “I was right next to her,” said House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Michael McCaul, R-Texas. “She likes to wear high heels. Very high. She was on one of her last steps on this marble staircase that didn’t have a railing, and she lost her footing and fell to the ground.”  McCaul later said he spoke to Pelosi on the phone.  “She had a lot of energy. Very spunky,” McCaul said of the former Speaker. FORMER HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI INJURED, HOSPITALIZED WHILE TRAVELING TO LUXEMBOURG Retired Rear Admiral Barry Black isn’t a senator, but frankly, his commanding, rumbling bass is better known than the voice of many senators. Always sporting his signature bow tie, Black has served as Senate Chaplain since 2003. He suffered a subdural hematoma and bleeding on the brain last week and has been hospitalized. “Chaplain Black is one of the most beloved individuals in the entire Senate. Every day we gavel into session, he is always here to start us off in prayer, delivered with his profound sense of wisdom, grace, and eloquence,” said Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y. The only thing more resonant than Black’s powerful vocal instrument are his words. Black artfully weaves friendly, pastoral counsel into his daily intercessions. He prayed that senators “not permit fatigue or cynicism to jeopardize friendships” in 2019 ahead of the first impeachment trial of President-elect Trump. During the 2013 government shutdown, Black gently chided senators who shuttered the government – even though U.S. Capitol Police remained on the job and were injured during a wild car chase and shootout which locked down the Congressional complex. “Deliver us from the hypocrisy of attempting to sound reasonable while being unreasonable,” prayed Black. There’s not a lot which is reasonable on Capitol Hill, and perhaps the most unreasonable thing heard over the past week came from U.S. Capitol Police Chief Tom Manger. MCCONNELL WARNS RFK JR. TO STEER CLEAR OF THE POLIO VACCINE While the chief was just the messenger, Manger informed a Senate committee that his department recorded a staggering 700 individual threats of violence lodged against lawmakers in November alone. More horrifically, Manger said there were a record 55 “swatting” calls made against lawmakers at their homes. “Swatting” is where someone phones in a fake distress call. Police then dispatch the “SWAT” team to the address, generally rattling the intended targets. “It used to be that if you know when you went home, you might be able to relax a little bit while,” Manger testified to the Senate Rules Committee. “Those days are gone.” Threats were called in on Thanksgiving Day to the entire Connecticut House and Senate delegation. Some lawmakers face more problems than others. “I’m sadly the record holder possibly for swatting calls,” lamented Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga. And these faux threats sometimes result in utter calamity for innocent bystanders. Rome, Ga., bomb squad member David Metroka was racing to join the rest of his team at Greene’s house when he crashed into a car driven by Tammie Pickelsimer. She later died at a hospital. APPARENT SWATTING CALL AT REP. MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE’S GEORGIA HOME LEADS TO DEADLY CAR ACCIDENT In fact, the threat to Greene’s residence wasn’t even unfolding in real time. It was emailed to local police and wound up in a junk email folder. Officers found the message several days later and dispatched the bomb squad. How do lawmakers protect themselves in such a supercharged environment? “I’m a gun owner,” said Greene. “It’s extremely important to be able to defend myself if need be.” Lawmakers have long faced threats. Some of the most tragic, chaotic moments in recent Congressional history have involved violence. January 6. The shooting of former Reps. Gabrielle Giffords, D-Ariz., and Ron Barber, D-Ariz. The Congressional baseball practice shooting, which nearly killed House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La. And then there is something else which spooked everyone who works on Capitol Hill, especially lawmakers who have been targeted before: A recent cold-blooded assassination in Midtown Manhattan. “I find it troubling that there have been public figures who either have

Trump names Herschel Walker, Nicole McGraw to ambassador positions before issuing warning to GOP senators

Trump names Herschel Walker, Nicole McGraw to ambassador positions before issuing warning to GOP senators

President-elect Trump dropped his most recent round of ambassador nominations on social media Tuesday night, before issuing a warning to Senate Republicans about any potential deals with Democratic lawmakers. The Republican leader began by nominating Herschel Walker as his choice for U.S. ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas. Walker, a staunch Trump ally, ran for the U.S. Senate in 2022 as a candidate from Georgia. “I am pleased to nominate Herschel Walker as United States Ambassador to the Commonwealth of the Bahamas,” Trump’s post began. “Herschel has spent decades serving as an Ambassador to our Nation’s youth, our men and women in the Military, and athletes at home and abroad.” Trump went on to call Walker, a former National Football League (NFL) player, a “successful businessman, philanthropist, former Heisman Trophy winner, and NFL Great.” The president-elect also commended Walker’s previous work in the first Trump administration. TIDE TURNS FOR HEGSETH AS TRUMP’S DEFENSE SECRETARY NOMINEE GOES ON OFFENSE “During my First Term, he served as Co-Chair of the President’s Council on Sports, Fitness, and Nutrition. Herschel has traveled to over 400 Military installations around the World, removing the stigma surrounding mental health,” Trump added. “He represented the United States at the 1992 Winter Olympics as a member of the U.S. bobsled team.” “Congratulations Herschel! You will make Georgia, and our entire Nation, proud, because we know you will always put AMERICA FIRST!” Trump followed up his post about Walker to announce Nicole McGraw as his pick for U.S. ambassador to Croatia. The president-elect described McGraw as a “philanthropist, businesswoman, and World renowned art collector.” GET TO KNOW DONALD TRUMP’S CABINET: WHO HAS THE PRESIDENT-ELECT PICKED SO FAR? “Nicole has brought fine art to the People through her work leading CANVAS Art Charities, and raised Millions of Dollars for neglected and abused children as a Board Member of Place of Hope,” Trump wrote. “She is a graduate of Southern Methodist University with a BFA in Art History and Studio Art. Congratulations Nicole!” After issuing the nominations, Trump ended with a note warning Senate Republicans not to make deals with Democrats to “fast track” nominations this month. “To all Senate Republicans: NO DEAL WITH DEMOCRATS TO FAST TRACK NOMINATIONS AT THE END OF THIS CONGRESS,” Trump wrote. “I won the biggest mandate in 129 years. I will make my appointments of Very Qualified People in January when I am sworn in.”

Lawmakers eye ‘low hanging fruit’ for government efficiency after first DOGE Caucus meeting

Lawmakers eye ‘low hanging fruit’ for government efficiency after first DOGE Caucus meeting

Some lawmakers in the new Congressional DOGE Caucus are eyeing a crackdown on federal agencies work-from-home policies when Republicans take over the levers of power in Washington DC next year. The group’s name is an acronym for Delivering Outstanding Government Efficiency, coinciding with the Department of Government Efficiency – also DOGE for short – a new advisory panel commissioned by President-elect Trump and led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy. The caucus held its first meeting on Tuesday, which lawmakers described to Fox News Digital as largely “organizational.” DOGE Caucus co-chair Rep. Aaron Bean, R-Fla., told Fox News Digital the room was full of interested lawmakers. MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN “We had 29 sign up to come, so we met in a small conference room. But it was packed – we had over 60 members attend,” Bean said. That included three Democrats – Reps. Steven Horsford, D-Nev., Val Hoyle, D-Ore., and the first Democrat to join the DOGE Caucus, Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla. Documents given to attendees and shared with Fox News Digital encouraged lawmakers to think of what kind of DOGE goals would be “worthwhile lifts,” “quick wins,” “lower priority,” and “low-hanging fruit” and other ways to organize and prioritize initiatives. Asked about what some “low-hanging fruit” for the panel would be, Bean said, “People going back to work.” REP. JARED MOSKOWITZ FIRST DEMOCRAT TO JOIN CONGRESSIONAL DOGE CAUCUS “We have a problem,” Bean said. “[Federal workers] do a large amount of work from home. Which, that’s a debate – whether or not they’re productive working from home. But if they are working from home, we have between a 6 and 15% occupancy of billions of square foot of commercial buildings that we are spending billions on to upkeep and whatnot. Do we still need that much space if people aren’t using their offices?” That was echoed by Rep. Beth Van Duyne, R-Texas, who also attended the meeting. “You know, when you take out security, you’ve got one percent of the federal government workers who are going in to work on a regular basis, and we’re paying for 100% of them all to have office space,” Van Duyne said. “There’s lots of low hanging fruit. I just hope we can identify what those are.” Bean also dismissed accusations from critics of Musk and Ramamswamy’s DOGE push that it was a way for Republicans to cut Social Security and Medicare benefits “That is not the intent,” Bean emphasized. “It is not the intent [to be] cutting benefits, of either health or [veterans] or Social Security. But those benefits…have limited shelf life, unless we make reductions elsewhere. So the purpose is not to cut those things, but to safeguard them.” REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY Other lawmakers who attended said they came away enthusiastic about the group’s cost-cutting and efficiency goals. “It was a good introductory meeting of the caucus, kind of challenging us all to think about our expectations and how we can help, you know, take ideas and move them in to bill form and work through the normal committee process to do that,” Rep. Nick Langworthy, R-N.Y., said. “I’ve even gotten a lot of ideas from constituents…I think this is a really great grassroots effort.” House GOP Conference Vice Chair Blake Moore, R-Utah, another DOGE Caucus co-chair alongside Bean and Rep. Pete Sessions, R-Texas, said “there’s a billion and a half ideas, and we need to make it so it’s actually actionable for Vivek and Elon.” Both Bean and Moore indicated that the next steps for the caucus would be to split up into working groups targeting various aspects of DOGE’s mission. The next caucus meeting is expected in January, Bean said.

Congress unveils bill to avert Friday government shutdown with over $100B in disaster aid

Congress unveils bill to avert Friday government shutdown with over 0B in disaster aid

Congressional leaders are unveiling their plan to avoid a partial government shutdown by the Friday federal funding deadline. House Republicans released the 1,547-page text of a short-term extension of fiscal year (FY) 2024 government funding levels to give lawmakers more time to agree on funding the rest of FY 2025. It’s the second such extension, called a continuing resolution (CR), since FY 2024 ended on Sept. 30. The bill extends FY 2024 government funding levels through March 14, while also including more than $100 billion in funding for disaster relief after storms Helene and Milton battered the U.S. Southeast just months ago. A further $10 billion in economic assistance for farmers is also included. REPUBLICANS GIVE DETAILS FROM CLOSED-DOOR MEETINGS WITH DOGE’S MUSK, RAMASWAMY The legislation has health care provisions aimed at lessening the influence of Pharmacy Benefit Managers (PBMs), and legislation aimed at revitalizing Washington, DC’s RFK Stadium and the surrounding area. The bill will also make way for outbound investment legislation, to crack down on the flow of U.S. dollars benefitting Chinese military and technology firms overseas. Recent drone activity on the Eastern Seaboard that’s alarmed private citizens and lawmakers alike also inspired negotiators to include a reauthorization and extension of the government’s Unmanned Aircraft Systems program. To offset some of that funding, House leadership staff said the bill will allow the Treasury to recoup some of the funds the federal government spent rebuilding the Baltimore Key Bridge. It must pass the GOP-controlled House and Democrat-controlled Senate by Friday and hit President Biden’s desk by midnight that day to avoid a partial government shutdown. DANIEL PENNY TO BE TAPPED FOR CONGRESSIONAL GOLD MEDAL BY HOUSE GOP LAWMAKER Last-minute negotiations delayed the bill’s expected Sunday release to Tuesday evening. Meanwhile, GOP hardliners are crying foul at Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., for stacking what they anticipated would be a “clean” CR with unrelated policy riders. “We talked with the speaker up until this weekend, the only discussion was ‘How long is this clean CR going to be?’ And suddenly we find out – I heard rumors over the weekend – they’re negotiating with a health care package that included PBM stuff,” Rep. Eric Burlison, R-Mo., told Fox News Digital. “I think it’s absolutely disgusting to bring forward a several-thousand-page bill that nobody’s read, even today, nobody’s even seen it, and then they expect us to vote on it without any debate.” MIKE JOHNSON WINS REPUBLICAN SUPPORT TO BE HOUSE SPEAKER AGAIN AFTER TRUMP ENDORSEMENT Allies of President-elect Trump had pushed for a short-term extension into the new year to give his administration, and a fully Republican Congress, more control over government funding. But some GOP lawmakers worried that fighting the previous year’s battles will risk derailing the forward-facing agenda Republicans hope to enact in Trump’s first 100 days. “His agenda is going to be subject to a one-seat majority for some time, in the best case scenario, he gets about three or four seats. So we don’t have much margin for error,” one House Republican said.